News Media: “After a Life of Incalculable Harm, Billionaire Climate Denialist and Right-Wing Villain David Koch Dead at 79”
I had to laugh when I saw this headline this morning. The author apparently is either unaware of or not compelled by the two thousand year old aphorism: “De mortuis nil nisi bene dicendum,” or “Of the dead let nothing but good be said,” meaning that it’s socially obnoxious to say bad things about dead people.
In this case, I’m not sure how well that old maxim is going to play out; it appears that social convention isn’t going to hold much sway in governing how David Koch will be regarded by posterity.
When asked what he thinks is fair treatment of him and his riches, he replied, “I get to keep my money.” Well, there are two issues there, David:
1) You live in a civilization with 7.7 billion other people who need the same public services you enjoy: roads, fire fighting, justice systems, national defense, and so forth. If we all “kept our money,” none of that would be possible.
2) You’ve spent a fortune making it impossible for our scientists to protect us from the vast environmental damage that Koch Industries is causing every minute of every day, and you’ve been remarkably effective at it.
In short, you need to hope there isn’t a hell.
Craig,
Yet, you you will miss having an “enemy” to vilify and rant about.
Like all of us David Koch had his faults, but unlike the rest of us he attracted hatred and worse from the left even after death.
The left hated David And Charles Koch for many reasons apart from the usual obvious envy and spite. The main reason David Koch was hated was his candor and lack of hypocrisy.
A lack of hypocrisy is never forgiven among the lib-left as it pricks the tiny vestige of consensus that hasn’t been completely extinguished by cant an dogma.
David Koch championed many causes over a long lifetime. Among those causes were the cause of free speech and support for the United Negro College Fund (UNCF).
When David Koch learned the UNCF was in such dire straits it had to deny nine out of 10 scholarship applicants due to financial constraints, the Kochs stepped in to not only fully fund the UNCF, but provide more than 1500 internships and research scholarships to aid scholarships for black students and to help historically black universities.
The program included work experience, overseas study travel opportunities and accommodation assistance.
The Koch family foundation endowed both UNCF and several underprivileged Universities to offer scholarships for underprivileged minority students.
It was the fifth largest but most comprehensive donation received by UNCF in its seven decades of existence as the preeminent scholarship source for low-income African Americans.
The response from the left was predictable. Instead of welcoming such benevolence, Marybeth Gasman, gave voice to the outrage of the left when she denounced the gift.
Mary Gasman who is the Judy & Howard Berkowitz Professor of Education at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education has made a career from writing about black students in America.
She is also a prominent Democrat activist and served for many years on the committee dedicated to encouraging large Jewish donors to the Democrat party and individual leftist politicians.
Sadly, like so many Democrats her hatred of the Kochs cause her to demand the bequest be refused, despite acknowledging the dire financial position of the UNCF, claiming accepting money and assistance from the Koch brothers was “unacceptable”.
It would be taking money from criminals, she announced. “They can’t be allowed to donate money to oppose a candidate like Hillary Clinton, and the taint the UNCF with their blood money” she ranted in a speech.
Such is the hypocrisy of the left.
Both Koch brothers were actively involved in a life time of conservative and libertarian activities, most recently opposing the candidacy and presidency of President Donald Trump whom they loathed.
What isn’t known so widely, is David and Charles Koch were hands on, active donors to many charitable causes.
The Brothers were among America’s larges donors, giving more than $6 billion over the years to worthy, but unfashionable causes.
Causes such as educational programs and community groups that deal with persistent poverty.
An addiction recovery program that blends counseling with Crossfit-styled exercise programs and a separate program in New York’s Sing Sing Prison that works with inmates to reduce recidivism.
David Koch gave up much time and money to develop rehabilitation programs for former prison inmates, especially those from minority backgrounds.
He donated to any politicians who opposed three strike laws, being a fervent believer in “no person is beyond redemption”.
Koch was intensely interested in the research of Carrie Pettus-Davis, a professor at Florida State University who receives a yearly $1 million grant to identify the best ways to reduce recidivism, focusing on Florida, Louisiana, Pennsylvania and Texas.
Much of Pettus-Davis’ research has been used within the Koch political network to convince skeptics that there can be meaningful changes to the criminal justice system.
David Koch was also opposed to the death penalty. He considered himself a libertarian, but also a social liberal. He supported women’s right to choose,gay rights, same-sex marriage and stem-cell research.He opposed the war on drugs as doing more harm than good.
He also opposed the Patriot act, commenting, “you can’t defend freedom, by restricting freedom”.
Craig, people are more complex and interesting than just being viewed through the prism of your political prejudices.
I have never been a huge fan of David or Charles Koch, and yet I wouldn’t be so vicious, unfair or uncharitable as to condemn a persons faults while ignore their virtues.
Your uncharitable comments about “his keeping his money”, is not only disingenuous but hypocritical!
You criticism that he should pay more tax for the same services you enjoy, why ? Does he use more roads than you? Does he use more fire fighting, justice systems, national defense etc?
Obviously not, so why should he pay more? On the other hand he provides employment of 150,000 people directly and 3 million indirectly in over 60 counties.
Do you?